“I promised myself na when it comes to my love life, I wanna be more private. I mentioned that to everybody before. I am seeing someone but for me, I want to keep that to myself because I’m getting older,” he said in a recent interview.

“I’m at the part of my life when I have to find the right one. I will keep this to myself for now, to be honest with you. But to talk about if masaya ang puso ko, yes, masaya ang puso ko,” he added.

When asked if the woman he’s dating is aware of reports linking him romantically to Kris Aquino, Derek said she knows the television host and her family.

He added that the latest pairing is a non-issue between him and the woman he’s dating.

As for his decision not to reveal details of his personal life, Derek said he’s just trying to apply what he has learned from past relationships.

“I just want to be more private in stuff like that. There’s a lot of pressure on you. For me, I don’t want to carry that weight. It’s hard to have that weight on your shoulders every day. Everyone’s watching, everyone’s looking. So, para sa akin, on my part, I should take that off my shoulders and give myself that space to grow in this new relationship,” he said.

Derek used to date actress Solenn Heussaff when he was just starting in show business.

He was also in a long-term relationship with Angelica Panganiban and recently had a month-long affair with Cristine Reyes. (MNS)